Committee details

The Governance Committee will have the following roles and functions:

1. To undertake the following functions relating to standards of conduct -

• Promote and maintain high standards of conduct by councillors, co-opted members and church and parent governor representatives;

• Assist the councillors, co-opted members and church and parent governor representatives to observe the Members’ Code of Conduct;

• Advise the Council on the adoption or revision of the Members’ Code of Conduct;

• Monitor the operation of the Members’ Code of Conduct;

• Advise, train or arrange to train councillors, co-opted members and church and parent governor representatives on matters relating to the Members’ Code of Conduct;

• Grant dispensations to councillors, co-opted members and church and parent governor representatives from requirements relating to interests set out in the Members’ Code of Conduct;

• Deal with any reports from the monitoring officer on any matter which is referred to it;

• Oversee the Constitution (in consultation with the Cabinet and Scrutiny and Improvement Committees); and.

• Has all the powers of the Authority to determine appeals or complaints against decisions made by the Cabinet, a Committee or Panel of the Authority where the Council’s policies or procedures or legislation (as the case may be) provide a right of appeal or complaint except where the matter is the responsibility of some other body or person(s) as provided for in the Constitution.

2. To undertake the following functions relating to audit:

• Ensure that external regulatory and inspection reports are distributed, reviewed, monitored and actioned;

• Is responsible for ensuring good stewardship of the authority’s resources;

• Manage any legislative requirements arising from the Government’s proposals to establish an ethical framework for local government, which will include monitoring and implementation of principles of conduct for local councillors, rules for dealing with members’ interest, rules for dealing with registration and acceptance of gifts and hospitality;

• Enhance the profile, status and authority of the internal audit function and demonstrate its independence;

• Contribute towards making the authority, its committees and departments more responsive to the audit function;

• Is charged with the responsibility for promoting internal control by the systematic appraisal of the authority’s internal control mechanisms, by the development of an anti-fraud culture and by the review of financial procedures;

• Is charged with the responsibility for focussing audit resources, by agreeing with the audit plans and monitoring delivery of the audit service;

• Monitor both internal and external audit performance by ensuring auditor/officer collaboration within the agreed timescales, by securing the timely preparation and response to audit reports, by ensuring the implementation of audit recommendations and by monitoring the finalisation of the annual accounts;

• Review compliance with the relevant standards, codes of practice and corporate governance policies; and,

• Review and monitor the arrangements for the identification, monitoring and control of strategic and operational risk within the authority.